Recording Studio Internship Tips - Tip #3 - Learn The Basics

So you got your internship and you are starting your first day. An intern's job is to do all the dirty/busy work that needs to be taken care of in a studio to help things run smoothly. So before you try and stick your head into the control room, learn the basics of what you need to do to help the studio function on the lowest level.

Every studio will have a different "routine" for the interns, especially at the beginning and end of the days, and then a separate routine for throughout the day. For the most part, the basics are pretty obvious: general cleanliness, make sure that there is coffee, that the garbage cans are emptied, that the bathroom/kitchen is stocked, and any day to day tasks the studio manager/owner or engineers ask of you. These are pretty general things for all studios but the details will vary from studio to studio.

Of course you'll be excited to have your new internship but it's not all glamorous. Pay attention to detail even in the mundane cleaning tasks and stay busy (or equally important, look busy). There are always things that can be cleaned or reorganized. Once the studio sees you can master these simple tasks and responsibilities in an efficient manner, they will then give you more trust to help IN the studio. Before you jump the gun, prove yourself, be nice, and stay humble. Being helpful and easy going along with a good work ethic will take you a long way (much further than a know-it-all).

When I first started my internship at Stratosphere Sound, I was still in the entry stage where my only responsibilities only required cleaning. A famous client was in the studio, we'll call him JJ to leave out names, and had just finished smoking a joint. I was on my toes about cleaning and threw out the roach after he left. I was then told I shouldn't have done that since it was huge joint and there was still a lot left in the roach and I didn't know if she was going to come back. That was my first major mistake at Stratosphere, but luckily they were understanding of it. Since then I've been known as "the intern who threw out JJ's joint" and the story is told to all the new interns we get. You live and you learn.

Stay tuned for another edition of RSIT (hopefully on time this Monday)